Dual message: Exerting military might, Xi says China's role is 'making, securing, protecting peace'

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00:00Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korea's Kim Jong-un for talks in Beijing today.

00:18At the start of that meeting, Putin praised what he called the bravery and heroism of North Korean

00:23soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. Putin saying the Korean soldiers

00:28helped repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's border region of Kursk.

00:35I want to point out that your soldiers fought courageously and heroically.

00:40I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the

00:45families of your servicemen have suffered. On behalf of the Russian people, I would like to

00:49thank you for your participation in the joint fight against neo-Nazism. I ask you to convey

00:55my warmest words of gratitude to all the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

01:04The people of the brotherly Russian Federation, and I would like to once again express my gratitude

01:10to President Putin for taking this opportunity to highly evaluate what we demonstrated through

01:16that struggle. I believe that going forward, we must strengthen our cooperation across various fields

01:23so that our two peoples can achieve tangible outcomes that contribute to the improvement of

01:28their well-being.

01:29The Russian and North Korean leaders were the VIP guests of Chinese President Xi Jinping. They were

01:37there to attend China's biggest ever military parade, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's

01:43defeat in World War II. Now, this was the first such gathering of the three countries' leaders since

01:47the early days of the Cold War some 60 years ago. Speaking at the parade, Xi warned the world was facing a

01:54choice between peace or war. History cautions us that humanity rises and falls together. Only when all

02:07countries and nations treat each other as equals, coexist in peace and support each other, can we uphold

02:15common security, eradicate the root cause of war, and prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies.

02:22Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation.

02:31For more analysis now, let's bring in China expert Dylan Lo Minghu, who joins me from Beijing. Dylan,

02:38thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Xi Jinping here, hoping to use this parade,

02:42this event today to highlight his strength at home and his growing influence on the world stage.

02:48Would you say he succeeded? I would say that his message landed quite successfully, particularly with

02:56members of the Global South. I think if you look at the leaders in attendance and the pulling power that

03:03Beijing is able to demonstrate with the number of leaders that are in attendance, that is testament to

03:09China's growing diplomatic clout, but increasingly its leadership role within the Global South community as well.

03:18So I would say, yes, at this very moment, he has achieved many of his key diplomatic objectives.

03:26And what messages are Western observers who might be watching this spectacle from far away like we are,

03:31particularly the U.S. President Donald Trump, what are they likely to take away?

03:35I think they will take a more nuanced assessment. This parade alone would not portend any significant shift

03:46towards China's orbit, particularly the leaders in attendance as well, because you would do well to

03:53remember that Modi in attendance for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization did not attend the military parade.

04:00I think what they will be quite concerned with is this growing cooperation.

04:06I mean, the symbolism of Xi Jinping being flanked by Kim Jong-un and Putin, the symbolism and the message

04:13behind that show of appearance, that show of strength, and the very nice words they had for each other

04:19cannot be missed. But at the same time, I think they will also take a step back and see and question

04:26whether or not this is a temporal issue or does it portend a more structural change in the sense that

04:34there is a very strong, growing coordination that is geared in opposition to America or geared in

04:41opposition to the West. I think we need to see a bit more data before we can come to a more solid

04:46conclusion on that front.

04:48So, Dylan, as you mentioned, the parade came after the Tianjin Summit, where there was, for example,

04:52also India's Narendra Modi, who was not at the parade today, but at the summit, there wasn't

04:57Kim Jong-un. I mean, what can we read into who was or wasn't at first the summit and then the parade?

05:05Several things. I mean, it makes perfect strategic and tactical sense to have the events back to back,

05:11because for those in attendance for the SCO, it would be from a point of logistics and practicality

05:18makes more sense, and it's far easier to make the decision to attend. It will not also be missed

05:24in international community and watchers that Japan tried to put out a message asking particular

05:31partners in Europe and Asia not to attend. Not sure how well that message landed. That was also the

05:38overtones or undertones of both the SCO and the military parade of an emerging alternative order,

05:47one that is Chinese-inflected. I think that message came across quite strongly. You can draw a common thread

05:54from the messages in SCO and in the military parade that we just saw.

06:00Dylan, we know, obviously, what Xi Jinping is trying to communicate, but what about inside China itself?

06:06Do we know any more about what people inside China think about this parade, this new strategy

06:12that Xi Jinping is trying to put forth? Let me caveat that I'm based in Singapore as well, so I can give

06:19an outsider's perspective on what I think the people of China think. One is, I think this is indeed a moment

06:26of pride, of national pride for the Chinese. The fact that you make and craft the historical narrative

06:34where once China was bullied and indeed had its territory violated by an aggressor, there's almost

06:42very little chance or zero chance of that happening right now. That continuity, and of course, this

06:48continuity and this success rests on the power of the CCP and the continued rule of the CCP.

06:55I think the message domestically is, look, we have got this. We are the only ones capable of

07:01shepherding China out of its troubles and displaying the might and power and prowess that you see on show

07:08today. What is more, we got all of these foreign leaders come to Beijing to attend and to celebrate

07:15this very important moment for us. So this is a great rallying point for the Chinese people and, of course,

07:22to help consolidate further, to boost morale around Xi himself and to the party.

07:29Now, some analysts and historians might say that the parade today was also a chance for Xi to rewrite

07:35what he would call the Western dominant narrative of World War II. Of course, China sees the victory

07:41through a very different prism than many in the West. I mean, talk us through what that

07:44Chinese narrative is and what Xi wants the world to believe.

07:47I would personally say that, in reality, the differences are sometimes a matter of emphasis

07:56rather than completely diametrically opposed narratives. I would say that the Chinese

08:02narrative is quite clear. They want to position their role as the victors of World War II. They want to

08:08highlight the amount of blood, tears, sweat, treasure that they have poured into creating the just and

08:16peaceful order and in bringing World War II to a close. And, of course, the narratives that they have

08:23crafted in projecting and emphasizing China's role and other actors as the aggressor is useful for the

08:30present moment as well. Because China very easily and with good amount of reasons say that we are not the

08:37ones that are aggressive. We were never the ones that have initiated conflict. If anything, we were the ones

08:44defending, protecting the international order, protecting peace. And that is the same today.

08:51So while at the same time, you have this big show of latest military toys, cutting-edge weapons that are

08:59obviously offensive in nature, military offensive. But the words, if you hear what he says,

09:06one of peace, that we will use it for peace. So there's a dual message here. We have the means if push comes to

09:12shove. But at the same time, we will stick to our role, as has historically been the case, the Chinese would

09:18claim, the role of making peace, securing peace and protecting peace.

09:24All right, Dylan, thank you for that. That's China Analyst Dylan Lo Minghui speaking to me there from Beijing.

09:30Thank you

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